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The following is a recording diary of August 2007 002

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Second, "song 2007-04" V-drums recording with Mr Watanabe 14th -15th of August. We kept at 1 for days.

As I mentioned before, this system is able to check and re-arrange midi notes after recoding. The bottom right hand corner img is checking by himself actually. Top of window (Blue Squares) is midi notes, bottom (lines) is velocity and exclusive data.
This recording took about 26 hours over 2 days. However that data was almost entirely edited by myself in the end.

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Third, "song 2007-04"and "sophisticated / unsophisticated" electric guitar recording with T.O on the 16th of August.

He is my best friend since elementary school. When we were in junior high, he began to play guitar first, and he taught me about music. When I started to write songs for real, he got a job in some big company. He is amazingly smart. If I ask him to play guitar, he can nail it the first time, and give me back more than what I need, even though he has another job. Especially it should be able to conform with same thing about my company's all brains.

I often use a plug-in named "guitar rig 2" on guitar recording and mixing. In fact, unaltered guitar sounds were recorded on all tracks. After that, you can change this to your favorite sound like distortion, or more clean sounds like Stratocaster. We could attempt to make those sounds with that software. In addition I attempted to change some guitar tracks to sounds like electronica.

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I recorded acoustic guitars of "song 2007-04" by myself on the 26th of August. First demo track was had recorded electronically, but I needed more unplugged sounds through a condenser microphone. This setting is used with voice recording. However those recording sounds had a little noise ; insect's sounds around my room. I attempted to use the plug-in "waves X-Noise" for the first time. Without erasing the essence of acoustic sound, have to arrange the threshold value, reduction and frequency. Finally I succeed.

To be continued…

: native instruments guitar rig 2 : http://www.native-instruments.com/
: waves : http://www.waves.com/

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The following is a recording diary of August 2007 001.

Those images are the piano roll window of "song 2006-02" on the 10th of August.
I played the Virtual Piano module synthogy "Ivory". It sounded so real, however the sample files are too large size (40.5G) practically. I performed some piano songs on "cattiveria limited records".

The way I see it, recording work might be making the sort of sample. If you play the best on your stage or performance, you could take those samples as a model. But this is the way it work, that's all. The most important thing is what you really want to make and express.

I have no idea how to other people make tracks. In my case, I start to make a basic design first, I look carefully at each detail including timing, velocity, rhythm, space, notes, sounds and so on, as though "somebody is playing there", over and over. I continued until I finish the song completely. "God is in the details". Besides, you don't have to book expensive studios or concert hall. It would be to figure "perfect combination" means "own original" out.

But there are a lot of combinations which someone made or exists in natural law in this world. How can we find out? Only do it and consider it over and over like a drill. Finally we can realize the answer like seeing the light. Sometime we can realize what direction we are going on this journey. It might be the way we can communicate to unknown people through our art work.

"What is worth doing, is worth overdoing" by Robert Brown Parker.

: synthogy ivory : http://www.synthogy.com/

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Mr tagawa one of my friends helped my voice recording on 11th of August.

We recorded the demo tracks of "song 2007-05". This song was based as a kind of "lounge music". But it has changing to "funk and alternative rock style" keeping arrangement.

He is singer songwriter, too, and we worked on some commercial tracks together on Sep.

To be continued…

I had a few recording work last month (July 2007).

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First "sophisticated~" bass recording 1st of july.

I ordered Matsushita to play bass for the first time.
We attempted sing a 4 string bass and a 5 string bass with the "V-bass" system.
V-bass is a similar system to V-drums.
If you play some phrases on your bass with a midi controller, it can change and transfer your bass sounds to midi notes in any software.

It is very interesting.
If you don't have time to book a studio to a record, you can change these notes and your favorite sounds by any software you have later.
For instance, it should be able to transfer from Fender bass to a synth bass or an upright bass.

But we recorded an ordinary type of recording, which means we use it as sort of a pre-amp instead.
We did it this may because that sound fit into that song exactly.

The bottom right hand corner img is "sonar 6" on my pc.
That system had been updated a week before.
It improved a lot of tools from the old ver..
But it has a few bugs and can't read some presets on "waves" plugins….

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Second, "001-2007" V-drums recording 17th of july.

Ordinarily, we play and set up our v-drums in watanabe's company warehouse. But we moved that system to my room and he set that himself.

The right img midi notes are which he played.
Usually that would be wav img but this was different. This is midi note information.

We played about 14hours without any breaks. After that we couldn't put that system away soon….

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These imgs are of my voice recording set up

That day I recorded 500 ~ 700 takes of the song by myself.
In my opinion software and equipment have made us provided is with high quality sounds without booking expensive recording studio or making people's  schedules.
They are good points.

But I have to use judgment to fit these tracks perfectly or not and do the engineering by myself.
It means I have to play many parts, like singer, recording engineer, arranger and producer at the same time.

This project which is behind this album has a lot of themes, basically.
It is convenient, sophisticated, minimalist and low cost but with high quality sounds.
But we ought to realize the most important thing is that they are just only "tools", that's all…

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BTW these imgs below are of a model of a little planetarium.
I made this for a change.

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I recorded these movies.
I'll try to edit that later…

Last weekend I went to my favorite and most secret store cottage in oita with my best friend.

I haven't had enough energy recently because I've been busy with design works and sound arrangements. I was so tired and really needed a change...
We'd planned and set our schedule a month beforehand.

Actually, I wrote 2 of my songs ("heaven_inst" and "pray") in this villa about 3 years ago.
At the time, I was working on about 5 or 6 songs, maybe even more.
Anyway, I don't remember exactly...

So I read and studied Stanislavsky's method book "Strasberg at The Actors Studio" by Lee Strasberg and Robert H.Hethman again.
The reason why I read this book is that this method has common solutions for creating high quality works.
Additionally my favorite TV program is "Inside the Actors Studio".
However, the Japanese title is "***(actor's name) said myself"....Gross....

Ryu murakami, who is a japanese writer has commented on the book as follows:

What an amazing book!

"One of the most serious misunderstandings actor has is in the hypothesis that when on actor forgets himself he is acting with confidence. But it is the sort of hysteria (same situation acting and life). Forget means to over one point where doing something with our own will."

Lee Strasberg pointed out that a lot of problems an actor has are similar to a surgeon.
It goes without saying, that it is not just a theory of acting. It is almost psychoanalysis.
It is so abstractly and scientifically strict.

Making the most of imagination with own will and never losing self-control, that's all.

"Story of tokyo after I've left" P.047-049
translated by tetsu.

I'm concerned that living in our complicated society is more helpful us.
Is it ture?

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On th last day, we went to an aquarium named "umitamago" (this means "sea-egg") in beppu-city oita.
It is adjacent to beppu-sea, and its architecture design is so cool.
I recommend you to visit it when you come.

This picture is a background-img of "cattiveria limted records", you know.

cheers!!

I'd  finished that rehearseing scene's edit last night.
And I tried to upload in "Veoh", this time.

We had to reseached that's sounds what he customized.
It was so amazing sounds!
And it makes me easy to edit and mix down than usual drums recording.

I think "Veoh"'s service the most high quality movie less than another have.
But why mono sounds?

I'll try to change my DVD's movies in my profile site.

Maybe I'll continue to record that scenes from now.

Anyway enjoy!

Last night was so excting for me.

First, I talked to paul who lives in melbourne aus. and he is my english lyric translater, song writer, singer and memeber of n.s.c brain, after that watanabe and I were trying to listen to v-drum sounds that he made and rehearseing a few songs rhythm arrangements.

We talked about the lyrics of my new song named "001-2007" and stuff like that.
And we have a few songs translated, basically.

That song's motif is this interview of haruki murakami who is the greatest living novelist in my opinion.

"...Sex is another issue. His blockbuster Norwegian Wood is the Japanese equivalent of The Catcher in the Rye: Every young Japanese person has read it. The uncharitable said it sold so well because its characters have so much sex, and talk about it so freely. Murakami takes another view: "Sex is a key to enter a spirit....Sex is like a dream when you are awake; I think dreams are collective. Some parts do not belong to yourself."

"The Elusive Murakami"

From the August 2001 issue of World Press Review (VOL. 48, No. 8).
Matt Thompson, The Guardian (liberal), London, England, May 26, 2001.

http://www.worldpress.org/0801books1.htm

That arrangement has the sort of "alternative rock" style, probably.
BTW skype is a very usuful tool for us..

Just as Paul and I finished talking, watanabe called me up and said "I'm practicing now, I was wondering if you could come over?"
So I soon went to his warehouse with my recording system and video camera.

I recorded those scenes on film, I'll try to edit that and update this page, later.

See ya.

"LIFE - fluid, invisible, inaudible ..."

"LIFE - fluid, invisible, inaudible ...", a new installation by Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani, is a work that Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media(YCAM) has commissioned. Ryuichi Sakamoto is a musician and composer activity working world wide, while Shiro Takatani is an artist who is a leading member of the art group "Dumb Type". Their attempt at a new experimental installation in combination with sound and image has reached fruition as collaborative piece of artwork.

In producing the opera "LIFE" in 1999, Ryuichi Sakamoto attempted to examine the music of the 20th century with a macrocosmic/microcosmic view of the entire flow of art and civilization. Based on various factors of this opera, Sakamoto has shifted to the present time. The subtitle "fluid, invisible, inaudible…" connotes ideas that are perceivable or imperceptible, access to something amorphous, uncertain, or unrecognizable, and also changes in ourselves.

Those two artists' collaboration started when Shiro Takatani was responsible for image supervision in "LIFE", an opera by Ryuichi Sakamoto that was first staged in 1999. Modeled on various factors in the opera "LIFE" in 1999, their new installation work at YCAM is conceived with expressions reflecting today's world. In "LIFE - fluid, invisible, inaudible…," a new element which uses previously unused material has been included in addition to a large quantity of original material. It is an experiment to fuse sound and image as a new kind of artistic synchronization, and the artists try to get its message across to a wide variety of people in today's world.

http://rsst.ycam.jp/e

Cheers!!

I stay up writing my song's score...10:09 am, now...OMG...(T_T)
I have to give new bassist these by next monday.

I forgot these structure and stuff.......
Besides I can't write and read notes.

Anyway, have a great weekend!!

I went to hakata watching "v-drum" with drummer takeshi watanabe last weekend.
He is recording member this project, basically, besides used to be working with takashi numazawa who is the most famous and the best drummer in japan now.

We had to check that budget and see real one.

Then we'd got that finally.

These photos are that setting scenes and his test play in his company.

Cheers!

I have small and tiny creative company named "nagano syouten creative" in fukuoka, jp.

Now I'm prepareing to recording my solo album,
but I have few plans same time.

Fortunately, I took photo another plan's recording scenes + my work room.
I try to update.

[equipments]

/ dell dimension dim9100 pentium(r) d cpu 3.00ghz 2.99ghz 2.00gb ram
/ microsoft windows xp professional version 2002 service pack 2

/ sony vaio pcg-grt77/b pentium(r)4 cpu 2.66ghz 2.67 ghz 1.00gb ram
/ microsoft windows xp home edition version 2002 servie pack 2

/ sony vaio pcvrz-50 pentium(r)4 cpu 2.40ghz 2.39ghz 1.21gb ram
/ microsoft windows xp home edition version 2002 service pack 2

/ epson calario pm-950c printer
/ epson gt-7300 scanner

/ acoustic guitar vg-00 bs 059211
/ 12strings morris guitar mb80-12
/ gut guitar
/ electric guitar yamaha rgx 812j
/ 5 strings bass guitar rockoon shaller
/ digital piano roland fp-5

[image & design software]

/ adobe illusutrator cs2
/ adobe illusutrator 10.0
/ adobe photoshop 7.0
/ adobe premiere pro
/ adobe encore 1.0
/ adobe acrobat 7.0 professional
/ adobe after effects 6.0

/ marcomedia dreamweaver mx
/ marcomedia fireworks mx
/ marcomedia flash mx

[sound design, software & audio interface]

/ edirol ua-1000 audio interface
/ rode nt-2A condenser microphone
/ digidesign m-box
/ roland xv-5080

/ cakewalk sonar5 producer edition(5.01)
/ digidesign protools le 6.4
/ roland vs-1680

/ antares auto tune 4

/ synthogy ivory

/ native instruments elektrik piano
/ native instruments guitar rig 2
/ native instruments kontakt 2
/ native instruments b4-2

/ east west samples colossus
/ east west samples ra

/ specirasonics stylus rmx
/ specirasonics trilogy
/ specirasonics atomophere

/ best service strings essential

/ toontrack dfh superior
/ toontrack dfh superior custom & vintage

/ waves

from "brains | nagano syouten creative"

Cheers!

I often go to mt.Aso for a change when I'm tired or confused.
So I went there yesterday, suddenly...

Recently I was so tired, but I have to change something for my next plans. From my house, 1 hours.

Actually I took photo my album's jacket  and this my space's backgorund image there, 2 years ago.

"Mount Aso (阿蘇山, Aso-san) is the largest active volcano in Japan, and is among the largest in the world. It stands in Kumamoto Prefecture, on the island of Kyushu. Its peak is 1592 m above sea level. Its caldera is 25 km across north to south and 18 km across east to west. The caldera has a circumference of around 120 km (75 miles), although sources vary on the exact distance...."

from wikipedia


I bought a cappuccino in kumamoto city.

is private indepentent label.
I got another myspace page.

There are 3 songs from "photologue scenes DVD" released last year(2006) + 1 demo song from solo album.



If you can't understand japanese, don't worry.
English transelation is there. 

I wish you'll like them.

Cheers!!